I was wondering if anyone there knows what happened to the Psilocybe Fanaticus website. I haven't been able to find any information about what's going on, nor have I been able to connect to the site for some time (www.fanaticus.com). I was just curious if the site was down (though there's usually a page up stating that) or if they were busted somehow.

A:

According to media reports and a Department of Justice press release, on February 18, 2003, the owner of Psilocybe Fanaticus (Robert McPherson) and three others were arrested by Federal agents and his home searched after a search warrant was obtained. According to the Department of Justice they found a growing operation for psilocybin-containing mushrooms. The DOJ press release says that Mr. McPherson admitted that he was growing mushrooms to produce spores which he sold through Psilocybe Fanaticus.

Robert McPherson, his wife Margaret McPherson, and two others named Stephen Coggin and Judith Kreigh were all indicted on February 25 on charges of "conspiracy to distribute psilocyn and the manufacture of psilocyn".

One media report states that while the police recognize that the spores of psilocybin-producing mushrooms are not illegal, selling these spores with instructions about how to grow them is conspiracy to manufacture (or conspiracy to distribute) a controlled substance. The comparison given by federal prosecutor Doug Whalley is that of selling the chemicals required to make methamphetamine along with instructions for how to produce it.

The Psilocybe Fanaticus website (fanaticus.com) has been down since shortly after the arrests. Because of this case, many other online spore vendors appear to have reconsidered their selling practices. Many have removed psilocybin-mushroom producing spores from their inventories or stopped all sales entirely. While possession of these spores may be legal, growing psilocybin mushrooms is generally considered production of psilocybin or psilocybin, an illegal act. Some speculate that the conspiracy charge may eventually be dropped and Mr. McPherson may be prosecuted only on the manufacture of psilocin charge.